Dream A Dream
by MissCrowley
Summary: Dean has been having terrible dreams at night, and Castiel comforts him while Sam is out.


"_Cas_."

The angel stood from the sofa where he had been lounging all evening, watching TV. He turned to Dean to see the hunter still soundly asleep, brow slightly furrowed and lips parted as he squirmed beneath the cheap motel bed comforter.

"Dean?"

Castiel cautiously approached the bedside, glancing over to see Sam's bed empty. The younger brother must have gone out without the angel's knowledge earlier. When Castiel sat down to watch some TV, everything else seemed to be lost around him. Everything but Dean's voice, which seemed to be in pain.

"Dean, are you alright?"

The angel leaned over and placed a hand on the headboard to support himself as he watched Dean's sleeping face. The hunter groaned, a light sheen of sweat shining on his brow. Dean was having a nightmare it seemed; these nightmares had become frequent as of late, and Castiel found himself tempted to sneak his way into Dean's mind to ease him of his pain, to brush his friend's soul with his grace to give him a much more pleasant sensation rather than the ache he felt emanating from his heart.

Castiel placed his hand against Dean's bare chest, feeling his friend's heart rate pounding hard against his flesh. He knew Dean wouldn't be happy with him for intruding. The hunter took pride in being strong and able to handle his own issues; he didn't need to be coddled like a child every time his brain decided to screw with his sanity. This was a bad one though. This one was quickly turning into another night terror, and Castiel wasn't ready to see Dean in that state again.

It was beyond frightening seeing Dean so out of sorts like that. He would tense his entire body, opening his eyes with a blank stare, yet seeing nothing. It was like a dead gaze into the abyss of whatever nightmare he'd be having, and he'd start to sit up, breathing heavily, mumbling incoherently until Sam brought him out of it by yelling at him, grabbing him and shaking him to wake up before he hurt himself.

Castiel rarely saw Dean have one of his night terrors, but he knew of their severity, and he was aware that Dean was beginning to go into one now. He watched as Dean's eyes shot open and his breathing came out faster and faster, mumbled words spilling from his mouth in panic as he struggled with whatever inner demon was still haunting him, and there were quite a few.

"Dean, it's alright! Wake up, it's not real!"

"_Cas?!_"

The angel crawled onto the bed and tugged Dean roughly up against him, hugging onto him tightly. He reached out into Dean's mind to calm the beast inside, breathing much easier along with Dean as the hunter's body began to calm. Castiel felt Dean's head drop onto his shoulder as his eyes fluttered shut once more, although he was awake now, but only slightly.

"Y'okay, Cas?"

"Of course. I'm fine, Dean. It was nothing more than a bad dream."

"Imma kick your ass if you're lyin'."

The angel smiled and let Dean fall back onto the bed. He was asleep once more within minutes, his breathing calm and his face relaxed. Castiel ran his fingers through Dean's messy blonde hair before resting his hand there, giving Dean a peaceful dream of his past. It was interesting how Dean's mind picked such an insignificant moment in his life to cling to – a short moment in his childhood of his mother making him a sandwich in the kitchen and smiling down at him as he sat at the table, his demeanor much more innocent and happy then. To anyone else it was something so simple, but to Dean it was heaven.

Castiel rested for a moment longer, his thumb caressing Dean's forehead as his hand remained in his hair. When the angel had been human he was able to finally feel love in its most powerful form. He had always loved Dean – loved Sam too, and Bobby when the old man was still around. But when Castiel had been human his love for Dean had felt much different. It had taken on many different forms, and even though he was an angel once more, his feelings hadn't changed. He could remember the hope he felt when seeing Dean again for the first time after the fall, only to feel the pain that came shortly after Dean's refusal to explain why he'd had to leave. Love and emotional pain were some of the hardest human emotions to get a grip on.

Castiel leaned over and closed his eyes as he carefully held his lips just inches away from Dean's. He knew he could close that distance and Dean would be none the wiser, but that wouldn't be fair. He'd be taking what he'd always wanted secretly, which wasn't the way it was supposed to go. He sighed and leaned back once more in time to see Sam come quietly through the door. The angel stood, his hand feeling cold from where it had rested against Dean's warm forehead.

"Welcome back, Sam."

"Hey Cas. Dean doing alright tonight?"

"Dean is fine. He had another of his nightmares, but I was able to bring him out of it. I gave him a peaceful dream to allow him to sleep."

Sam sighed and set a small bag on the table that was most likely full of junk food for the road the next morning. They'd be leaving in about twelve hours' time, so Sam checked the alarm clock before settling down into his own bed. He pulled off his boots and flannel, crawling under the sheets in his t-shirt and jeans.

"G'night Cas. And thanks for taking care of Dean while I was gone."

"It was no trouble. Goodnight, Sam."


End file.
